About the Book

This book is a detailed photographic study of the final 15 years of the last steam worked colliery in South Africa : Greenside, in the Witbank coalfield. Greenside colliery was a favourite amongst photographers not least because it maintained its fleet of locomotives in good condition, so much so that all four were in use at some time or other during the final year of steam operation (1995). And what a fleet .... two Class 1 4-8-0s dating from the first decade of the 1900's, and two Class 14Rs also pre-dating World War One. The Author made some eighteen visits to this colliery over the years. The result is a book that is a tribute to both the machines and the men that kept them running. It is also a tribute to the other staff and management at Greenside colliery for whom nothing was too much trouble. No single colliery anywhere in the World has been the sole subject of a published photographic book, devoted to its railway operations, and it is with great pride that the Author presents this landscape format publication. It is very competitively priced All books are produced on quality art paper. The book may be previewed , in full, and for free.
During the period covered by this book, (as remains the case today) much of Greenside's coal was conveyed to a rapid loading bunker to join the high tech coal export infrastructure. The steam locomotives handled the domestic traffic along the mine's private railway to Blackhill Exchange Yard. Amazingly, three of the mine's steam locomotives remain at the mine today, some seventeen years after retirement. This book however covers the "action years" between 1979 and 1995, this volume being extracted from the "all country" large book "Black Diamonds", published earlier. . Superb photography, using landscape pages, predominantly colour , is used to showcase these magnificent machines from the steam era. Aerial photographs, technical and lively anecdotal information enhance the book.

A well known South African Railway Photographer, Dennis is the author of two best selling books on South African steam locomotives , ' The Sunset Of Steam' and 'The Shimmer of Steel' . He has also published 35 (mostly very large) landscape format books on www.blurb.com. For a complete list and full details simply go directly to www.blurb.com/user/store/red3450 (India, China, Zimbabwe, East Germany, U.K. industrial are among the titles as well as the most extraordinary coverage of all things 'South African steam'). Magnificent photographs and design abound.. A well known exponent of night, silhouette and glint photography,the Author includes many examples of such work,but the scope is broad, covering the conventional and unusual approach to Steam photography. Lively anecdotal text and summaries are included. All Blurb books may be viewed (preview), in full, and for free. To contact the Author, phone+27 (0)21 879 0308 or e mail him at ......... Moore3450@ictmail.co.za